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Tuesday, January 18, 2005

I finally heard Chad VanGaalen's amazing Infiniheart, a collection of 19 of Chad's numerous home recordings. Somehow I slept through Brooklyn Vegan's post back in November as well as CokeMachineGlow's excellent review and interview. It took comments on our site and some MP3s to awaken me to Mr. VanGaalen's haunting compositions.

While listening I couldn't help but think of Jeff Buckley. The similarities are there, especially in the vocal range of each singer. But where Buckley at times seems overwrought and melodramatic to me, VanGaalen's songs work through a lo-fi, low key, but just as unforgettable approach.

Listen to:

Clinicly Dead

Somewhere I Know There's Nothing

Traffic

Blood Machine

Here's a few excerpts from reviews of Infiniheart:
"Infiniheart is a stunning achievement that perfectly showcases VanGaalen's many talents -- singer, lyricist, songwriter, producer and arranger -- and though its epic length might be off-putting at first, it won't take many listens before you're clamouring for even more." - Scott Reid, Coke Machine Glow
"...Not unlike the prairie itself, the beauty of this recording resides in both its spaciousness and apparent desolation." - Helen Spitzer, Exclaim.ca
Infiniheart can be purchased from Chad's label, Flemish Eye/Catch and Release or its distributor Scratch Records.
posted by jason @ 11:19 AM  LINK |
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check it
Dinosaur L
Dinosaur L
"#5 (Go Bang)"
"#7 (Recorded Live at the Kitchen, 1979)"
Not that it takes much, but the trailer for the upcoming Arthur Russell documentary got me onto an AR kick the other day, and I headed for Dinosaur L's 24-24 Music. 24-24 is thought by some to be the gem of Russell's dancier material, and it'll hopefully be reissued soon. The Francois K remix of its masterstroke "#5 (Go Bang)" kicks off 2004's The World of Arthur Russell compilation, but I actually prefer the 24-24 original (MP3). When I first heard 24-24, though, the standout for me was far more fleeting. The two-minute "#7 (Recorded Live at the Kitchen, 1979)" (MP3) is a tantalizingly short slice of a session I hope is sitting in full in a vault somewhere. Russell's cello anchors a percussive horn-guitar groove that quickly recalls (or, I should say, previews) !!! and others. And, like much of Russell's music, I love it not only for its sound but also for the era of NYC it instantly evokes.

- rajeev, 12.14.06
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